Why Do Some Businesses Fail ISO 9001 2000?
Some times it is because they have not put in the required effort, others just do not read the
requirements of the ISO 9001 2000 standard or misinterpreted its requirements. This is why it is
always best to employ a consultant who has been through the process many, many times before. A
consultant will guide you through the process avoiding
the numerous pitfalls like over-documentation or insufficient coverage of the standard.
Would you go for a driving test without having read the
highway code? Of course not.
As a Senior lead auditor with the UK's largest certification body for
many years I would estimate that one in ten organisations visited did not have a copy of the
appropriate ISO standard for which they were seeking registration, some had a copy but openly admitted
that they had never read it, others had read it, didn't understand it, and just did what they believed
to be in the standard. Many businesses just forget to carry out
internal audits or carry out the ISO 9001 20000
training of their employees to give them a basic
understanding of what ISO 9001 2000 is all about.
When these applicants failed their initial registration audit they seemed
shell shocked and could not understand how they could fail. Quite simple, it is rather like turning up
for an "A" level exam having not read the syllabus, failed to do any home or course work and expecting
to pass. A good consultant will ensure that your business
does not fall into any of these traps.
The U.K. British Standards Institute, estimates that 45% of the companies who fail to achieve
certification do so because of documentation deficiencies. The ISO 9001 2000 is very specific about
what documents have to be produced and which records have to be kept.
The remaining 55% of failures are in-part related to documentation in areas such as policies and
procedures for process, inspection, testing and measurement. Employing a
consultant would have prevented failure and the additional
costs of a full registration body re-assessment.
The ISO 9001 2000 standard is very specific about what documents must be controlled and in general you
will find that they fall into the following three areas
|
Documents which describe the Quality Management System within your organisation |
|
Documents of external origin which you use in the process of producing your product or
service such as ISO standards, drawings, specifications etc. |
|
Records which you must keep are generally recorded on forms, in books or in electronic
format, all of which must be controlled. |
|
If documentation control is an issue that concerns you then take a look at the
Easy ISO 9001 2000® software, it will take care of
this for you and much more. |
Based on our experience, we believe that ISO 9000 2000 certification will become increasingly important,
particularly if companies are to remain competitive in the global economy.
This Article was Provided by a Driso Consultant.
Driso provide ISO 9001 2000
consultancy,
auditing,
software, and
training
Services.
They also supply Easy ISO 9001 2000® software for
initially setting up an ISO 9001 2000 compliant Quality Management System or improving upon an
existing one.
Click here to contact Driso Consultancy Services. See what they can
do for you and your business.
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